IAAF propose false start rule change

Track athletes making a false start will be immediately disqualified under rule changes proposed by the sport's world governing body.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said in a statement that it wanted to modify the false start rule, scrapping the system of allowing one false start in a race.

"The opinion is that this rule change would prevent gamesmanship, by penalising those who deliberately false start to unsettle rivals," said IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai.

The proposal will be subject to confirmation at an IAAF meeting before the start of the world championships in Helsinki in August.

False starts have led to controversial moments on the track.

During the 2003 Paris world championships, a second round heat for the 100 metres descended into farce when former American champion Jon Drummond and Jamaican Asafa Powell were disqualified for a false start.

The competition was held up for over 45 minutes as Drummond at first berated officials, before laying down in the middle of the track and refusing to move.